On the same day the Alachua County Sheriff's Office released the
dashboard camera video of the Sunday morning of arrest of University of
Florida linebacker Antonio Morrison, Sheriff Sadie Darnell said the
arresting deputy should have given the 19-year-old a warning for barking
at a police dog instead of placing him under arrest.
Darnell also said the arrest was a split-second decision during chaos.
The
video footage does not show Morrison barking at Deputy William Arnold's
K-9, but it does show Morrison walking past the vehicle with a small
group of males before being beckoned by Arnold and then quickly placed
under arrest as multiple officers converged on him. Morrison appeared to
tense his arms initially but quickly acquiesced as his head was placed
against the hood of the police vehicle and cuffs appeared to be placed
on his arms behind his back. Morrison can be seen throughout the arrest
turning his head and speaking to the officers.
Minutes later, Morrison can be heard pleading with Arnold to release him.
“Officer,
please let me go,” a voice, presumably that of Morrison, can be heard
saying. “I'm not looking for any trouble. I just said, ‘Woof woof.'”
Arnold responded by telling Morrison that his behavior was the reason he wasn't letting him go and that he was not cooperative.
Shortly
afterward, in what appears to be a conversation between Arnold and
another member of law enforcement, Arnold can be heard saying, “Yeah, my
patience is pretty thin.”
During
her interview Monday afternoon, Darnell told the Sun that she believed
the deputy was technically correct that Morrison could be charged under
the statute which prohibits taunting police animals, but she stated
that, given the obscure nature of the law and the fact that Morrison was
probably unaware of it, a warning would have been the more appropriate
action.
While
acknowledging that the arrest may have been heavy handed, Darnell was
careful to point out that the incident occurred next door to All Star
Sports Bar on Southwest 13th Street. The bar and grill can stay open
until 4 a.m. as long as it stops serving alcohol at 2 a.m. and has been
the subject of more than 200 police calls and investigations for
numerous violent crimes.
“Our
deputies are caught in a lot of threatening situations and are having
to make rational, very well thought out decisions in the context of
chaos, and sometimes they don't think them all the way through,” Darnell
said. On Sunday morning deputies were responding to a report of an
aggravated assault at the scene.
Around
30 minutes after placing Morrison under arrest, a frustrated Arnold can
be heard on the recording explaining to Morrison the reason for
arresting him.
“Let me
simply explain something to you,” Arnold said. “I've been listening to
you for a few minutes, and here's the problem I got with this, all
right? My dog is watching my back and their back. Stop talking. When you
walk up to the window and say something to him, you distract him if I
need him. So if I open my door remotely with this push button, he's
coming out to you and not to me when I need him. That's the end of the
story. That's interfering, harassment and teasing a police dog while
he's engaged in his duty. That's what you're being arrested for. All
right?”
Morrison's response cannot be understood, but it clearly added to Arnold's frustration.
“I'm
being very direct and to the point with you. You're not getting it.
You're not getting it at all. You can continue to sit here with your
crocodile tears and ask me for favors and do whatever. I'm telling you,
you're going to jail for interfering with my dog. That's it.”
Morrison
was arrested on two misdemeanor charges and was released from the
Alachua County jail Sunday afternoon, but the area's chief prosecutor
said late Sunday that he has some concerns about the legality of the
charges.
“Based on the
initial report, I have to question the sufficiency of the evidence to
constitute a crime,” State Attorney Bill Cervone said. “Simply barking
at a dog may not be enough. I'll have to look at the statute,” he said,
noting that the law calls for malicious intent.
Morrison
has been suspended for at least two games from the UF football team as a
result of the arrest, which is his second incident involving law
enforcement within five weeks. He was arrested by Gainesville police
after an incident June 16 outside the Kava Bar & Hookah Lounge at
1007 W. University Ave.
Police
officers said he got into an argument with a bouncer who refused to
waive the cover charge for Morrison. He hit the bouncer with his fist on
top of the head, according to police.
Morrison
was subsequently offered a deferred prosecution that required him to
pay $100 in fines, perform community service hours, attend a drug and
alcohol program and anger management classes, and take part in two
eight-hour ridealongs with UF police. The new arrest could place
Morrison's prior plea deal in jeapordy.
UF
has not commented on whether the possibility that the state attorney
will drop the charges against Morrison could affect his suspension.
